Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa in 1250,
and learned the art of sculpture from his
father, working alongside other apprentices such as Arnolfo
di Cambio. His early work is difficult to distinguish from that of
his father. In 1265 he worked on the pulpit of Siena Cathedral with his
father, and this is the first time he is specifically mentioned as an
apprentice.

Around this time, he began to work on
the design and sculptural decoration of the facade for the cathedral.
The cathedral, with its lavish decoration, was to become highly regarded
as a centre of 'excellence' for Gothic facade decoration in Italy.

Sculptures by Giovanni Pisano

In 1270 the young Pisano was summoned to
Naples on the behest of King Charles I, to work on the Castel Nuovo (also
called Maschio Angioino). The castle was a new fortress which Charles
planned as a home, but would in fact remain uninhabited until 1285 when
Charles died and was succeeded by his son, Charles II.

Pisanos next independent piece of
work was several sculptures at the Campo Santo, a walled cemetery on the
edge of Pisa Cathedral. Many claim it is the most striking cemetery in
the world. According to one story, it is said to have been built around
a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha (a site outside of ancient Jerusalem's
early 1st century walls), and bought to Pisa during the Fourth Crusade.
There are two doorways, and Pisano executed several pieces of sculptures
above these. Between 1277 and 1284, he also sculpted statues in two rows
of traceried gables at the exterior of the Baptistery. The liveliness
of the statues shows that he was moving away from the serene style of
his father and entering a style better described at Gothic. Gothic sculpture
was evolving from the stiff, elongated style of the Romanesque years into
a more naturalistic style, which encorporated the treatment of drapery,
facial expressions and postures of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

In 1278 Pisano worked on the Fontano Maggiore
fountain, which is situated in the grounds of Perugia Cathedral. He worked
on the fountain with his father, and it is thought that he finished the
sculpture after the death of Nicola some time in 1284.

Cathedral of Arezzo

In 1286 Pisano went on to decorate a marble
high altar and reredos at the Cathedral of Arezzo. He adorned both
objects with countless figures and reliefs, mainly depicting the lives
of Saint Donato and Saint Gregory whose bones are enshrined in the cathedral.
At this stage Pisano had several apprentices of his own, and it is thought
that the work at Arezzo was most probably mainly carried out by his pupils.

In 1301 Pisano completed sculptural work
on the pulpit of Pistoia Cathedral - which is his greatest masterpiece.
The pulpit has five narrative reliefs that echo the subject matter of
his father's famous Pisa pulpit 40 years earlier. However, Giovanni's
sculptures push the expressive characteristics of his figures to a new
level of intensity. The extreme agitation of the figures in the Annunciation
and Nativity pulsate throughout the panel. Animals, drapery, figures are
contorted in physically impossible configurations.

With Giotto at the Arena Chapel

After Pistoia, Pisano never quite repeated
the frenzy of his figurative work, instead, he returned to a classical
style, very similar to that of his father. The reason for this turnabout
is not clear - it may have been that his Pistoia pulpit was not well received
at the time. Or it may have been the rise of Giotto's popularity - whose
more classical, heroic style of art was growing in appreciation at the
time. We can assume the artists met, as Pisano carved a marble statue
of the Madonna and child for the Arena Chapel in Padua at the same time
Giotto was painting his famous
fresco there (in approx 1305).

Architecture

From an architectural aspect, Pisano was
equally active. Between 1287 and 1296 he was appointed chief architect
of Siena Cathedral. In 1304 he directed building works of the Church
of Saint Domenico, also in Siena. Little of the church remains today,
however the north transept still contains his tomb of Pope Benedict XI,
with a sleeping figure of the pope, guarded by angels. One of his most
beautiful pieces of architecture was the little chapel of Saint Maria
della Spina in Pisa. The design of the building and the reliefs and sculptures
are exquisite - the actual work itself was no doubt carried out by his
apprentices.

Giovanni spent the remaining years of his
life in Prato, near Florence, where he worked with his pupils at the cathedral
until his death in 1314 at the age of 64. His last major work dates from
1313, when he created a monument of Margaret of Brabant, wife of Emperor
Henry VII.

Legacy

Pisano's art, displaying a mixture of French
Gothic and classical styles - soon to become International
Gothic - prompted the English sculptor Henry Moore to call him "the
first modern sculptor". His style was continued and developed by
his students, two of whom became famous in their own right: Giovanni
di Balduccio, became a respected sculptor, and Agostino da Siena,
a well known architect.

 For the history and types of sculpture,
see: Homepage.
 For the evolution and development of the visual arts, see: History
of Art.